When the loss of her mother to cancer turned Fabrizia Catania’s life upside down at just 18, she was reluctant to reach out for help, wary of pity and stigma.

In a curious turn of events, a decade later Catania started working with people who need support, just as she needed help when she was left motherless at a young age.

A young Fabrizia Catania with her mother Rita

And she has just been crowned 2021’s outstanding newly-qualified social worker, helping children in alternative care and their families.

The awards ceremony is organised by the Malta Association of Social Workers to help professionals such as Catania feel appreciated in a world where their work often goes unrecognised.

Speaking to Times of Malta after the awards, she recalled that when her mother Rita learned she had terminal cancer, she had tried to prepare her for adult life as best she could.

“But she only had a week to do so while at the same time trying to come to terms with the news. If I had to describe that period in my life, and the following few years, I would compare it to a very large dark room with no exit,” she recalled.

“We were told my mother was going to pass away during my second attempt at a diploma, after having dropped out of high school and vocational school believing academia was not for me."

After her mother's death, she decided not to pursue her studies.

'My life seemed like a dead end'

“I started working in retail and I can still remember one particular customer questioning whether this is what I really wanted. But I felt lost and was not motivated anymore.

“It felt like I was existing, not living... my life seemed like a dead end,” Catania, a Foundation for Social Welfare Services social worker, added.

The turning point came some three years later, while she was training as an X-ray technician abroad.

“I recall my mentor telling me that I was not cut out for the job, and should instead consider social work, seeing how I had got on well with patients during that same placement,” she said.

I thought university was beyond me

When she took the plunge to study for the fourth time, she enrolled for a social work course at the University of Malta and turned up for the mature students’ interview without much hope.

“I thought university was beyond me but I will never forget the day I received my acceptance letter. I realised that my hard journey was bearing fruit.”

Catania believes that rather than the pity that some had afforded her along the years, it was words of encouragement that had empowered her to turn her life around.

“I have learnt the hard way that pity leaves no room for improvement.

“I keep this in mind whenever I am with my clients – helping them improve their life by learning from their mistakes and hardships,” Catania said.

Fabrizia Catania (left) receiving her award from Charlene Martin, chair of the Malta Association of Social Workers.

Awards for unrecognised invaluable profession

Charlene Martin, chair of the Malta Association of Social Workers, believes that social workers like Catania deserve to be recognised because their work is invaluable to society.

“We feel the profession needs to be recognised more. Social workers deal with the most vulnerable people and are often faced with situations that are very difficult to handle,” she said.

“They face negativity, sadness, abuse, traumas and sometimes even end up in risky situations.”

Social workers acknowledge the pain of people who are “unheard” by the rest of society, and help individuals get back on their feet by gaining skills that help get them out of complex situations, Martin added.

The task of social workers was made even harder lately due to the pandemic.

Aimee Zammit Grech, who was recognised as social worker of the year, told Times of Malta that they had to change the way they worked while continuing to protect service users and themselves.

For some this meant drawing a balance between working from home and being there for clients, whose difficulties were amplified by the pandemic.

Among others, Zammit Grech worked at the Floriana Community Mental Health Service, a frontline service that saw a sudden increase in people dealing with mental health issues.

Aimee Zammit Grech who works for the Agency for Community and Therapeutic Services receiving her award from Charlene Martin, chair of the Malta Association of Social Workers.

2021 awardees

Kay Gauci for promoting best practice; Maria Lorette Saliba as outstanding social work student; Catherine Fleri Soler for promoting self-development and professional growth; Maria Mangion for promoting the voice of the service user; Yvonne Mallia for being the most impactful experienced social worker; and the Residential Community Services and High Support Service for being the most impactful service of the year.

Manuel Mangani was presented the lifetime achievement award.